Jerry Moran

Seven senators have requested an independent investigation by the Defense Department’s inspector general into the accidental disclosure of technical data to rival bidders Boeing and EADS in the Air Force’s refueling tanker competition.

General Services Administration Inspector General Brian Miller told senators on Wednesday his office had made a criminal referral to the Justice Department relating to the ongoing spending scandal. Speaking at the last of four congressional hearings about the GSA, Miller testified that he has heard from “a lot” of whistleblowers since his report was released several weeks ago.

Foreign affairs imposed on the Trump administration. Treasury moved to sanction North Koreans believed to have military ties. Trump said the U.S. would take unilateral action in response to Pyonyang threats.

The Veterans Affairs Department once again needs congressional authority to transfer funds from one account to another to keep the Veterans Choice Program running for the rest of fiscal 2017. VA Secretary David Shulkin says the issue emphasizes the need to redesign the program, yet Congress has its concerns about the viability of Choice in the near and long term future.

The Veterans Affairs Department faces many challenges with its decision to abandon the Veterans Information Systems and Technology Architecture (VistA) and adopt a commercial, off-the-shelf electronic health record. But with a high dollar amount and big stakes comes as even larger culture change, federal IT experts said.